President Donald Trump issued an open threat to the Islamic Republic of Iran on Monday via a statement posted on social media.
Noting that the “hundreds of attacks” on vessels transiting the Red Sea and Suez Canal are “being made by Houthi, the sinister mobsters and thugs based in Yemen,” Trump pointed out that they “all emanate from, and are created by, IRAN.”
The post came in response to multiple drone and ballistic missile attacks aimed at the USS Truman strike carrier force deployed to the Red Sea. The Houthi attacks came in retaliation for an hours-long series of airstrikes by US Navy forces joined by the UK this weekend to destroy strategic Houthi targets in Yemen.
“Any further attack or retaliation by the “Houthis” will be met with great force,” Trump warned, adding “there is no guarantee that the force will stop there.”
The president added a specific warning: “Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon from this point forward as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN, and IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire!”
Whether that threat refers to a direct attack on Iranian assets in Iran — with or without Israeli participation — remains to be seen. Stay tuned!
